Hi, I am new here, I want to put my 6 year old pacifist son through a good school (Kung Fu, or Tiai chi), preferably with a teacher who also adhere to the spiritual part of it. not just kicking. Green Cloud is nearby (we live near Rocky Point) and looked like an ideal choice until I started reading all the posts. Is it really that unscrupulous? If yes, is there a good school within 15 miles radius from
Rocky Point? Thanks in advance, Olga.

Olga, you are better off finding a youth judo or BJJ program for your son. That way if he wants to avoid hitting his fellow kids during a fight he can at least pin them to the ground before the teachers arrive.

Hi, I am new here, I want to put my 6 year old pacifist son through a good school (Kung Fu, or Tiai chi), preferably with a teacher who also adhere to the spiritual part of it. not just kicking. Green Cloud is nearby (we live near Rocky Point) and looked like an ideal choice until I started reading all the posts. Is it really that unscrupulous? If yes, is there a good school within 15 miles radius from
Rocky Point? Thanks in advance, Olga.

Check out east coast blackbelt academy in Middle Island , They have a good program and have been there 18 years.

i second "harvey birdman's" suggestion, and especially suggest judo over BJJ, as it is usually cheaper, and has an emphasis on throwing, which is a great way for a pacifist to practice self defense.

i am a kung fu instructor, and have taught kids classes before, and i have to say that good kung fu instruction is very hard to come by, especially for kids. judo is much more consistent in the way it is taught, and gives the child a sporting environment in which to build skill. also learning to fall properly can save a person from nasty injuries all throughout their life.

as i tell my students, "i hope that you never have to fight, but you will fall down at some point, and if you know how to fall properly, you will most likely avoid an injury."

if the child continues to be interested in judo, there are a number of ways to keep up the practice later (college clubs, judo clubs in whatever part of the world he may end up in, etc.)

plus if he ever does get into kung fu practice, all that work in judo will only help his progression.

"Face punches are an essential character building part of a martial art. You don't truly love your children unless you allow them to get punched in the face." - chi-conspiricy
"When I was a little boy, I had a sailor suit, but it didn't mean I was in the Navy." - Mtripp on the subject of a 5 year old karate black belt
"Without actual qualifications to be a Zen teacher, your instructor is just another roundeye raping Asian culture for a buck." - Errant108
"Seriously, who gives a **** what you or Errant think? You're Asian males, everyone just ignores you, unless you're in a krotty movie." - new2bjj

Thank you ,gentelmen, I will defenetely look up both options, (actually I already looked the
Black belt academy, they even have a special, I am in between though, at one hand I do
want him to be exposed to martial art, (and watching "The Avatar' over and over again he is fascinated by the different styles of it), but as a mom I want him to be safe and (hopefully) Injury free. And I know in the hands of a wrong instructor his knees and joints can suffer a lot. So judo might be a better optiond. O.

Thank you ,gentelmen, I will defenetely look up both options, (actually I already looked the
Black belt academy, they even have a special, I am in between though, at one hand I do
want him to be exposed to martial art, (and watching "The Avatar' over and over again he is fascinated by the different styles of it), but as a mom I want him to be safe and (hopefully) Injury free. And I know in the hands of a wrong instructor his knees and joints can suffer a lot. So judo might be a better optiond. O.

Either way look at a few classes , talk to other parents , try and check out as many schools as you can just to compare . ASK ALOT OF QUESTIONS.

Most schools will give you trials , stay away from the come ons where you get locked in long expensive contracts that you cant get out of .

Olga, you are better off finding a youth judo or BJJ program for your son. That way if he wants to avoid hitting his fellow kids during a fight he can at least pin them to the ground before the teachers arrive.

working in schools locally on LI, I 1000%agree - administrators get real testy about kids punching / kicking each other; on the other hand a situation where the defender ends up calmly sitting on top of the aggressor waiting for a teacher is a much more justifiable prospect; also, judo will teach your son not to panic if he gets knocked down - he'll be used to the impact, will know how to fall safely, will know how to get back up and will know how to handle himself on the ground if he needs to;

I don't know any judo schools locally - there is one called Waseda club in Rockville Center / Baldwin that has been around for ever and has an excellent rep - calling them might get you a reference to someone reputable out here (I'm in Bayshore); also, Kioto in Sayville has a good rep, and I like their video on kids classes - but that's BJJ, not judo;

another option is Tiger Shulman's - which is, of course, a potential can of worms because of their at times "intense" salesmanship, and they are not cheap - but curriculum structure and content-wise they are quite good; but again, they're not for everyone (despite what they may tell you, LOL)

working in schools locally on LI, I 1000%agree - administrators get real testy about kids punching / kicking each other; on the other hand a situation where the defender ends up calmly sitting on top of the aggressor waiting for a teacher is a much more justifiable prospect; also, judo will teach your son not to panic if he gets knocked down - he'll be used to the impact, will know how to fall safely, will know how to get back up and will know how to handle himself on the ground if he needs to;

I don't know any judo schools locally - there is one called Waseda club in Rockville Center / Baldwin that has been around for ever and has an excellent rep - calling them might get you a reference to someone reputable out here (I'm in Bayshore); also, Kioto in Sayville has a good rep, and I like their video on kids classes - but that's BJJ, not judo;

another option is Tiger Shulman's - which is, of course, a potential can of worms because of their at times "intense" salesmanship, and they are not cheap - but curriculum structure and content-wise they are quite good; but again, they're not for everyone (despite what they may tell you, LOL)

anyway, good luck;

With places like Tiger Schulman you really have to beware they will sell you on a package that could cost you thousands . Id be very wary of that high pressure type place , Those are the type of places with the come ons and you wind up paying a second mortgage practically.

With places like Tiger Schulman you really have to beware they will sell you on a package that could cost you thousands . Id be very wary of that high pressure type place , Those are the type of places with the come ons and you wind up paying a second mortgage practically.

yes - they often use "emotional" based tactics - get you in on one package, then try to upgrade you because Johnny is doing so well that it would be tantamount to neglectful parenting if you didn't upgrade him to the Junior Black Belt Master's Academy Dragon Institute program; as I said, it's that end of it that is a potential issue; from what I understand, the curriculum quality control is good - but again, may not be worth dealing w/all the other stuff